Dewey & LeBoeuf

Lawyerly Lairs: Dewey Wonder How The Owner Of This $4 Million Mansion Went Bankrupt?

Check out the magnificent mansion that helped drive a rainmaker into bankruptcy.

By David Lat on January 16, 2015 3:30 pm

When we covered the personal bankruptcy filing of former Dewey & LeBoeuf and current DLA Piper partner John Altorelli, we mentioned his Connecticut estate, currently on the market for $3.9 million, and noted that we might revisit it for a Lawyerly Lairs post. That day has come; get ready for some high-end real estate porn.

Before we check out Altorelli’s mansion, here’s an update on his bankruptcy case. Since our last story, he has filed a few documents with the court. The latest is a disclosure of what he has paid his bankruptcy lawyer so far (a $7,500 retainer, in case you’re wondering). The juiciest is a detailed breakdown of Altorelli’s assets and liabilities, listing such items of personal property as kitchen appliances and individual books in his collection. We might take a deeper dive into those 90 pages in a future post; feel free to check out the document and point out interesting tidbits in the comments to this story.

Now, on to the main event: John J. Altorelli’s estate in New Miford, Connecticut, currently on the market for $3.9 million. When you see the lavishness of this residence and combine it with Altorelli’s other spending, it’s not hard to see how he wound up in a financial pickle.

The house boasts 7 bedrooms, 7 baths, and almost 10,000 square feet of living space (9,918 square feet, to be exact). It’s actually more tastefully decorated than I expected given Altorelli’s flashy ways. Let’s be polite and approach through the front entrance:

We ring the doorbell. Ding dong! The affable Altorelli answers and ushers us into the double-height foyer with its sweeping dual staircases:

Which room would we like to visit first? There are so many spaces for entertaining that it’s tough to decide….

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